Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents

#11

Post by ygcfububyuf » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 3:40 AM UTC

wmf wrote: post #3

[deleted] wrote: post #2

[deleted]

Did anyone read the article? You didn't. Microsoft is suing TomTom. (Sorry pg, I couldn't resist the put-down.) Here are the patents: http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=6,175,789 http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=7,054,745 http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=6,704,032 http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=7,117,286 http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=6,202,008 http://www.…

Specifically they are sueing over the support of 8.3 versions of long filenames. Presumably the sd card in the tomtom uses FAT

Re: Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents

#12

Post by alnayyir » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:58 AM UTC

spot wrote: post #8

cosmo7 wrote: post #4

Situation: Microsoft is in court with a GPS company over some patents. Problem: News story is boring. Solution: Headline "Microsoft Sues Linux", add picture of Steve Ballmer looking mean. Sprinkle with spelling mistakes and "no word yet" unprofessionalisms. Lame.

the lawsuit includes the patent on long filenames in the fat32 filesystem. this is a big deal.

aren't there BSD licensed solutions to this plus prior art?

Re: Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents

#13

Post by staunch » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 6:03 AM UTC

vaksel wrote: post #9

cosmo7 wrote: post #4

Situation: Microsoft is in court with a GPS company over some patents. Problem: News story is boring. Solution: Headline "Microsoft Sues Linux", add picture of Steve Ballmer looking mean. Sprinkle with spelling mistakes and "no word yet" unprofessionalisms. Lame.

welcome to the blogosphere

Welcome to Silicon Alley Insider.

Re: Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents

#14

Post by mjgoins » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 4:41 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #6

If this actually poses a threat to Linux, you can bet IBM (and Google) are going to be taking Microsoft to court over their patents that Microsoft probably infringes on. Software patents are like nuclear weapons. You bring them out, and everyone loses.

And much like nukes, having them in the first place was a backward idea.

Re: Microsoft Files Suit: Linux Violates Our Patents

#15

Post by likpok » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:18 PM UTC

mjgoins wrote: post #14

jrockway wrote: post #6

If this actually poses a threat to Linux, you can bet IBM (and Google) are going to be taking Microsoft to court over their patents that Microsoft probably infringes on. Software patents are like nuclear weapons. You bring them out, and everyone loses.

And much like nukes, having them in the first place was a backward idea.

No. Patents are required for certain kinds of development. Places where there are extremely high costs of R&D, and easy reverse engineering. Take pharmaceuticals. It costs several hundred million dollars for the studies to prove that the drug works, and more for the research. Furthermore, it is easy to reverse engineer drugs (the compounds are printed on the package!).

This means that there is little incentive to develop a drug unless you can guarantee exclusivity for a period (everyone else can always undercut you because they don't have the R&D costs).